seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
John 5:1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] [b] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”
11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”
12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”
13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.
16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.
24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.
33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.
36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study[c] the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God[d]?
45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”
a. John 5:2 Some manuscripts Bethzatha; other manuscripts Bethsaida
b. John 5:4 Some manuscripts include here, wholly or in part, paralyzed—and they waited for the moving of the waters. 4 From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had.
c. John 5:39 Or 39 Study
d. ohn 5:44 Some early manuscripts the Only One
All this arguing about the Sabbath is really starting to get boring. At least this one has a story that goes with it. I found these outtakes at the blueletterbible.org commentary.
Afterward Jesus found him: Jesus found him because He was concerned for his spiritual health (sin no more lest a worse thing come upon you), not just his physical health. Living a life of sin is worse, and will bring a worse result, than being crippled for thirty-eight years.
The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus: We might deride this man as a notorious tattletale, but his violation of the Sabbath tradition could be punished by excommunication or death.
But also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God: This bold claim to deity was not missed by the enemies of Jesus. They knew clearly that when Jesus said that God was His Father in this unique way, He declared Himself equal with God.
You search the Scriptures: It is the Scriptures (here used in the sense of the Old Testament) which speak of Jesus. Significantly, they searched the Scriptures, but they did not have His word abiding in them. We can know the Bible without having His word live in us.
This morning I read the easy English commentary and the blueletterbible.org commentary as well.
Now... Apparently this guy had been lying beside the pool for 38 years..... he drug himself there... and he would drag himself elsewhere when the need arose. He claimed that he couldn't get a spot in the healing pool. He claimed that he wasn't fast enough and it kept filling up before he could drag himself over there. Jesus asked him..... "don't you want to get well?" After 38 years of dragging a body around.... it's easy to think that the guy would jump at healing..... just like a guy locked up in jail for 38 years would jump at the chance to be released.... but wait.... released to what?????
This guy had been laying beside the pool for so long... he didn't have a job.... he had no means to support himself. The only way he could afford to stay alive was the kindness [or maybe guilt] of others. Maybe he didn't want to be healed. I have a different scenario for this guy....... it's easier [and probably more profitable] to set a cup on the ground and lay around all day.... then having to stand with the cup and actually perform the act of begging for a handout.
Imagine.....Back when this guy was being created.... As usual God was carving and Jesus was watching..... and of course they were talking about this latest creation. Imagine God says "you'll find this lazy bum beside a pool in Bethesda. He should get right upset when you make him get up and walk. He's going to scream like a stuck pig." Imagine, Jesus said..... "I'll give him a minute and then go talk to him". Imagine God replied "well... he'll tell the hypocrites all about it and they'll use it against you." Imagine Jesus answered.... "Now Father.... You know that is the purpose anyway..... it will lead to the cross and the antidote." Imagine God places a hand on the head of Jesus the Messiah and says "You are indeed a good Son.."
None of that last paragraph was Biblical..... but I think it makes sense. No one is so slow that it would take 38 years to crawl into a pool for a healing if that was indeed their purpose.
There's a lot of talk about witnesses in this chapter. Jesus told the hypocrites that He is indeed the Son of God. The hypocrites.... as the Bible tells us.... were livid that Jesus would tell this guy to ignore a rule they harped on. No one picked up their mat on Sunday. It would lay there all day as a reminder of how "good" they were following the rules.
Jesus reminded them.... Moses talked about the Son of God coming. There were other prophets that talked about it too. Jesus just explained to them that they just weren't going to believe Him. That was the plan.
IMHO>>>>>That guy by the pool didn't really want to be saved by Jesus. He had no where to go. He hadn't decided to Believe in Jesus.... Jesus made him get up on his own two feet.... he didn't decide to stand up. Why did Jesus blend into the crowd? Because He could. The plan was working.... He needed to give that stuck pig of a human a minute to squeal and then He would give that human a personal gift.... he would offer that lazy bum a chance to believe. I don't think the guy told everyone what a wonderful man Jesus was.... I think he complained that Jesus didn't take his demise seriously.
Jesus told the man to get up and walk..... but that man had been laying around for 38 years.... even though the healing took... and the "paraplegic" could get up and walk..... the man didn't want to be healed.... he was use to his useless life.
I heard an old man say..... "if something happens to you.... I plan to go out and break the law.... that way I can have three hots and a cot.... because without you.... I don't know how I will afford to live"
I think.... Jesus called out a lazy bum..... who was claiming to be ill so he could lay around all day.... nice gig if you can get it.....
By the way... I find writing about people lying around claiming to be sick during a pandemic... rather ironic....